Jeremy Malczyk <[log in to unmask]> writes:
> Y'know, I bet the old MRR's would work with tele boots. The ones that
> predate the upward toe release and step-in functions. I have a pair lying
> around, might try it for stihs & giggles.
Good luck- seems to me the painfully small range of fore-aft position
adjustment on the MRR heel could make it a remount project. You could
probably get the duckbill to hook under the M46-vintage Marker toes, at
least the corners of the duckbill under the release wings. It might be
easier with older Look or Salomon toes though. (For sure early-mid '80s
vintage Look toes...)
> > knew him. That was his first run on the Muir Snowfield. Since the falls
are
> > on the natural fall line out the bottom of the snowfield, an
inexperienced
> > person would naturally follow it, which is the most likely explanation
for
> > his being there. (Indeed, mid-winter it's a commonly skied path down to
the
>
> Especially an inexperienced boarder, who is less inclined to travese than
> to keep going down...
A boarder might also be less inclined to climb back out once bounded by rock
since it's harder to kick steps in soft boots. We'll never know the whole
decision tree this guy fell victim to, but he declined the option to be
guided on foot by experienced climbers familiar with the route. He
apparently had a reasonable sense of direction even in the pea-soup, since
he in fact made it the whole length of the snowfield without wandering off.
Had he been there before he surely would have recognized the Pebble Creek
drainage and found the trail. He may have even recognized it, but opted for
a few more turns figuring he could bushwhack his way back up below Panorama
Point, and not realizing the severity of the drop he would have to
negotiate, 'boarded off into the unknown. We'll never know. His fate is a
grim reminder of just how unforgiving errors in the backcountry can be. It's
easy to start believing that you're not really on your own when travelling
something as busy as the Muir climbing route, but 1/4 mile on either side of
it you really _are_ on your own.
dana
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